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Vegetarian heaven
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It’s Vu Lan season again – the seventh month of the lunar calendar and a time for people to express their filial duty to their parents and ancestors.


To celebrate the annual occasion, Van Canh and A Dong restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City are serving up delicious vegetarian fare until August 31, the beginning of the eighth lunar month.

Van Canh will offer its “Saigon Vegetarian Buffet” at 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. daily while A Dong diners can enjoy the “Cho Lon Vegetarian Buffet” daily from 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

The two restaurants pay close attention to detail not only in creating delectable dishes and flavors, but also in establishing an ambient setting in their dining rooms.

Lotuses and countryside adornments help create a delightful decor where diners can experience a wide array of local cuisine.

Popular “peddler” dishes such as boiled sweet potatoes, broiled corn, cakes, steamed glutinous rice and sweet soups are just some of the delicacies on offer.

For those wanting to try something different, a traditional Chinese noodle cart will also be on hand.

Other exclusive vegetarian dishes available at Van Canh and A Dong include fruit salads, hot pot dishes, and sweet soups.

Several new Vietnamese, European and Chinese dishes such as Lohan porridge, Lohan wheat noodles, vegetable pizza, spring rolls, tri-colored fried oyster mushrooms, and Chinese-style tofu dishes are also available.

Many lotus-based dishes are also sure to please including: curried lotus seeds, fried rice in lotus leaves, lotus sweet soup, and lotus tuber soup.

Van Canh Restaurant, 184 Calmette St., Dist. 1

+ Lunch buffet: VND100,000 (US$6)/adult and VND60,000 ($3.60)/ child (5-11 years old)

+ Dinner buffet: VND120,000 ($7)/adult and VND60,000/child (5-11 years old)

+ VND140,000 ($8.50)/adult (on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month – August 15)

A Dong Restaurant, 22-23 Hai Thuong Lan Ong St., Dist. 5

VND90,000 ($5.5)/adult and VND45,000 ($2.7)/child (under five years old)

Reported by Nghia Pham